Chris Hansen speaks to media after his group’s presentation to the NBA on April 3, 2013, in New York City. Having lost his bid for the Sacramento Kings that May, Hansen is now reportedly planning to bid on the Atlanda Hawks. (Richard Drew/AP Photo)

Despite the Atlanta mayor’s assertions that he will do everything to keep the Hawks in Georgia, two potential suitors are planning to submit separate bids to buy the NBA franchise and move it to Seattle, according to a report.

ESPN’s Bill Simmons reported Tuesday that Sodo arena investor Chris Hansen and film producer Thomas Tull are planning separate offers for the Hawks, which were put up for sale this week, each with hopes to relocate the team to Seattle.

Hansen has largely fallen out of the headlines since his 2013 bid for the Sacramento Kings fell through. Furthermore, since the NBA rejected Hansen’s purchase that May in favor of a bid organized by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, co-investor and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer moved on and purchased the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion.

Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull is reportedly planning to bid on the Atlanta Hawks and move them to Seattle. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

Not one to seek the spotlight, Hansen reiterated his commitment to bringing the NBA back to Seattle in a Dec. 22 blog post on the website for his proposed Sonics Arena, which is still going through Washington state’s environmental review process. The Seattle City Council and King County Council approved a public-private financing plan in October 2012 but, under the agreement, construction on the proposed $500 million arena cannot start until the city lands an NBA franchise.

Hansen has yet to publicly address the recent availability of the Hawks.

Tull, meanwhile, is a new name to the “Sonics Reborn” conversation. An avid sports fan and partial owner of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, Tull is best known as the chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures, whose movie titles include the “Dark Knight” and “Hangover” trilogies.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution first reported Friday that the Hawks’ minority stakeholders have agreed to join majority owner Bruce Levinson in selling the franchise, putting the team 100 percent up for sale.

Levenson announced in September that he planned to sell his controlling interest in the NBA franchise, after revealing he wrote a racially insensitive email to team officials two years ago. Levenson said he voluntarily reported the email to the NBA after 2014’s Clippers saga, in which former owner Donald Sterling was barred from the league and forced to sell his stake in the team following racist remarks.

Several people have expressed interest in being part of an ownership group soon after the controversy came to light. Former NBA players Dikembe Mutombo and Chris Webber and New York entertainment lawyer Doug Davis are known to have interest. Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed has said numerous parties have expressed interest. …

The Hawks are unlikely to be sold and moved, as the Atlanta Spirit did with the NHL’s Thrashers in 2011. Reed said the city is committed to keeping the Hawks in Atlanta. In addition, the NBA would not want to lose a franchise in a Top-10 market.

A purchase price for the Hawks would likely fall somewhere between the $550 million for which the Milwaukee Bucks sold in April and the $2 billion Ballmer spent for the Clippers. Buying the Hawks would also carry an extra $75 million fee to break the team’s arena lease with Atlanta and Fulton County, Georgia, before it expires in 2017.

Levenson’s ownership group unsuccessfully tried to sell the Hawks to a California developer in 2011. It is widely thought the Hawks’ current owners would not agree to sell to an ownership group that would seek to relocate the team.